「五個唯獨」原文以簡潔的拉丁文寫成，是宗教改革者留給後人的五個信仰宣告。它們是：
- Sola Scriptura唯獨聖經
- Sola Gratia 唯獨恩典
- Sola Fide 唯獨信心
- Solus Christus (或 Solo Christo) 唯獨基督
- Soli Deo Gloria 榮耀唯獨歸神
戰爭的吶喊The Battle Cry of Reformation
頭三個「唯獨」是宗教改革的核心信念：唯獨聖經，唯獨恩典，唯獨信心。「唯獨聖經」與信仰和生活有關，「唯獨恩典」和「唯獨信心」與救恩有關。不是教皇的詔令，不是教會的傳統，唯獨聖經才是基督徒信仰和生活的最高權威。不是人的功德，唯獨神的恩典才是我們得救的原因。不是人的善工，唯獨在基督裡的信心才是我們得救的方法。我們得救是本乎恩，也因著信。是唯獨本乎恩，也唯獨因著信，並無其他成分。
這三個「唯獨」都指向基督，於是就有了 Solus Christus，唯獨基督。我們藉著基督將一切榮耀都歸與神，Soli Deo Gloria，唯神為榮！這就是宗教改革的五個 Sola，五個唯獨。
五個之中的 Sola Fide，唯獨信心，是宗教改革的「戰爭的吶喊」。那時羅馬天主教自稱是救恩的唯一代理人，握有天國的鑰匙，必須滿足它的要求才能得救。路德和其他的改革者發出吶喊，大聲抗議這個謬論。他們說，我們得救不是靠著滿足教會的要求，而是靠著對基督的信心。而且無需任何的加添，唯獨信心就足以使人得救！如此的信念使他們走上了與教會衝突的不歸路，接著而來的就是辯論與審判，對抗與奪權，戰役與大戰。動盪不安的局面在歐洲持續了數十年，當一切終歸平靜的時候，「因信稱義，唯獨信心」的真理已經深植人心，再也無法奪走了。
基督信仰的中心The Heart of Christianity
基督信仰的中心是「人與神的關係」。不是清規或戒律，聖禮或禮儀，建築或組織，甚至也不是「事工」的本身。神唯一在乎的，是我們與他的關係。
神要那些遠離他、在外遊蕩的兒女回到他身旁，與他建立起愛的關係。神是父，他愛我們。他向我們所要的不是表面的形式，而是實質的關係。誠如先知彌迦所說，神向我們所要的不是「千千的公羊，萬萬的油河」，而是「行公義，好憐憫，存謙卑的心與你的神同行。」（彌6:7-8）
在路德的時代，以及我們的時代，許多人將基督信仰視為「形式的宗教」。只要將形式維持好了，你就萬事妥當。接受浸禮，參加聚會，做你該做的，出你該出的，你就情況良好。你跟神的關係不好？那不重要，重要的是將表面維持好。這樣的「基督教」無法滿足路德內心的需求，他渴望著與神有著真實的愛的關係。
鴻溝The Great Chasm
有一個問題卡在我們回歸於神的道路上。神是聖潔的，有罪的人不能「說回去就回去」。我們的罪在神與人之間造成了一道無法跨越的鴻溝，斷絕了我們的回歸路。必須先將鴻溝填平，我們才可繼續前行。可是，這要怎麼做呢？如何才能解決罪的問題呢？
答案是在羔羊的血中。若有羔羊為罪人犧牲流血，神就給這人開通道路，允許他來到面前。罪人將雙手按在羔羊頭上，將罪轉給羔羊。羔羊被殺於祭壇之上，於是羊為人死，人因羊活。神立此「代罪之法」，彰顯出他的公義與慈愛，使人絕處逢生，死中得活。擔當罪孽的羔羊流血、死亡，這是神對罪的懲罰，彰顯出他的公義。罪人除去罪孽，得到新生命，這是神對罪人的憐憫，彰顯出他的慈愛。神公義與慈愛的完美彰顯，是在十字架上。在十字架上，神的羔羊耶穌基督擔當世人的罪孽，將自己無瑕無疵、一次而永遠地獻上，使一切信他的人都可回到神的身邊。因基督的血我們的罪得赦免，因基督的死隔斷的鴻溝被填平。回歸於神的道路已於十字架上完成，凡信主的人均可自由前行。
這些路德都知道，他知道罪人需要信耶穌才能得救。當時他所不知道的，是「唯獨」信心就可得救。天主教會所教導的，是得救必須對耶穌有信心，但這只是其中的一部分。除了信心還要做善工，還要浸禮，還要各樣的聖禮，還要悔罪，還要…
路德的困境Luther’s Plight
路德陷入了困境。他想要確定自己的得救，但無論如何努力，心中總是沒有確據。他從小父親就很嚴厲，常為了一些小事而鞭打他。他覺得自己總是犯錯，總是做不好，總是惹父親生氣。長大之後父親要他去學習當一名律師，他不去，使父親大為惱怒。有一次，他在路上遇到暴風雨，天色漆黑，大雨傾盆，雷電交加。路德於驚恐中向神許願，若是得以生還，他就去當一名修道士。認真的他事後向神實踐諾言，進了一間奧古斯丁修道院。修道的生活並未帶給路德平安，他祈禱、禁食、認罪、做善工、遵守一切的清規戒律，心中卻仍然沒有確據。
當時的教會未能教導真理，告訴人只要信主就能得救，使困境中的路德找不著出路。還有這麼多事要做，還有這麼多義務要盡，要到何時我才能確定自己的得救？路德像一個做錯事的孩子，站在嚴厲的天父面前，深感自己充滿不配，一身的不是。
律法的重擔The Burden of the Law
當福音初傳之時，有許多外邦人歸主，都熱心學習基督之道。但是很不幸，同時也有一群律法主義者進入各教會，擾亂眾人。他們是猶太人，教導外邦信徒除了要信耶穌，同時還要遵守摩西的律法才能得救。這樣的教導使各教會陷入困惑：只信耶穌還不夠嗎？我還需要受割禮嗎？使徒保羅眼見他們破壞福音真理，就與他們大大爭辯。告訴眾人律法全無功效，唯獨基督的救贖才有功效。一個人只要信耶穌就可得救，無需遵守律法。為了解決這項紛爭，眾使徒齊聚耶路撒冷，舉行大會（使徒行傳十五章）。因著聖靈的引導，眾人的見證，大會決定不將律法的重擔放在信徒身上（徒15:28）。得救僅需信心，唯獨信心，沒有別的。
今日我們知道得救是本乎恩，也因著信。我們擁有這項認知，是欠了路德的債。因為羅馬教會偏離聖經，這項真理被湮沒了數百年。直到路德藉著研讀聖經，重新發現了這項真理。他發現神對得救的唯一要求，就是信耶穌。一個人只要信耶穌就能得救，其他的都不需要。一切的添加物都是「律法」，都是已經被基督除去的重擔。我們完全沒有必要，更是完全沒有理由，在基督已經完成於十字架的救恩之上，添加任何的事物。
神的義The Righteousness of God
路德發現「因信稱義」的關鍵，在於他對「神的義」的重新瞭解。對他而言，「神的義」一直代表著「神的要求」。若想在神的眼中被視為義，你必須遵行律法，完成教會對你的各項要求。當時路德已經是神學教授，有一天，在他為了教羅馬書而備課的過程中，他發現了「神的義」真正的意義：
因為神的義正在這福音上顯明出來；這義是本於信，以致於信。如經上所記：「義人必因信得生。」 （羅1:17）
在福音中，神的義不是要求，而是恩典的禮物。不是你賺來的，而是你領受的。神藉著你在基督裡的信心，將他自己的義白白賜給你。神將他的義放在你的身上，當他看到你的時候，不是看到一個罪人，而是看到他的義。身為一個義人，你得以進入至聖所，站立在施恩寶座之前。你是因著信，藉著耶穌基督，進入現在所站的恩典之中。（羅5:2）
The five “solas,” expressed in concise Latin, are theological convictions of the Reformers. They are:
- Sola Scriptura, by Scripture alone
- Sola Gratia, by Grace alone
- Sola Fide, by Faith alone
- Solus Christus, Christ alone (or Solo Christo, through Christ alone)
- Soli Deo Gloria, Glory to God alone
The Battle Cry of Reformation
The first three solas – Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide – are the core of reformation convictions. Scripture alone, not papal edicts nor church traditions, is the ultimate authority for Christian faith and living. God’s Grace alone, not human merits, is the source of our salvation. And Faith alone, not works, is the means of salvation. We’re saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone.
These three all point to Christ, hence Solus Christus, Christ Alone. Through Christ all the glory goes to God, Soli Deo Gloria, to God alone the glory. There you have them, the five solas.
Among the five solas, Sola Fide – justification by faith alone – was the battle cry of the Protestant Reformation. In a time when the church claimed to be the sole agency of salvation, that it alone held the key to heaven, Luther and other reformers cried out their objections. No, we’re not justified by fulfilling the church’s requirements. We’re justified by faith, and faith alone! This conviction set them on a collision course with the church. There were debates and trials, confrontations and power struggles, battles and wars. A tumultuous time lasted for decades in Europe. When all was over, the truth that we are justified by faith, and faith alone, was deeply rooted in believers’ conscience once again.
The Heart of Christianity
The heart of Christianity is our relationship with God. Not rules or regulations, sacraments or ordinances, buildings or organizations, not even ministries. What matters to God is our relationship with him.
God wants his wayward children to return to him. He wants us to have a loving relationship with him. He is our Father, he loves us. What he wants from us is not formality, but genuine relationship. Not thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of oil, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with him. (Micah 6:7-8)
People in Luther’s time, and in ours too, often mistake Christianity to be a religion of appearance. All is well as long as you keep up the appearance. Be baptized, go to the services, pay your dues, and you are good to go. Oh, it does not matter if you don’t have a relationship with God, just keep up the appearance. Luther found no satisfaction in this kind “Christianity.” He longed for a loving relationship with God.
The Great Chasm
There is a problem with returning to God. God is holy, sinful man can’t just “return to him.” A great chasm has been created by our sins, rendering it impossible for us to return to God. We need to fill the chasm before we can do anything. But how? How can we fix the problem of sin?
The solution is in the blood of the sacrificial lamb. God allows sinful man to come to his presence if a lamb is sacrificed in his place. A man places his hands on the lamb to transfer all his sins. It is then killed on the altar. The lamb died in place of the sinful man so he can live. At the cross, Christ the true sacrificial lamb bearing all our sins, offered himself unblemished to God once and for all. By his blood our sins are forgiven. By his death the great chasm is filled. We are now free to return to God.
Luther knew all of these. He knew that he was a sinful man and he needed to have faith in Christ in order to be saved. What he didn’t know at that time was he needed ONLY faith. The church taught him salvation is through faith in Christ, but not faith alone. In order to be saved you need to have faith, and good works, and baptism, and sacraments, and penitence, and…
Luther’s Plight
Luther was in trouble. He wanted to have assurance for his salvation, but no matter how hard he tried he just could not have it. His upbringing did not help. He had a stern father who would whip him for the smallest offense. It’s impossible for him to please the father. He always did something wrong. Always falling short. He carried with him that sense of inadequacy to the monastery, where he started the career of a monk. He did good works, prayed, fasted, confessed his sins, but still there’s no assurance.
The failure of the church to teach that salvation is through faith alone added to Luther’s plight. There were so many things to do, so many obligations to fulfill. How could a person ever be sure about his own salvation? Luther stood before his heavenly Father and found himself wanting.
The Burden of the Law
When the gospel was first preached to the gentiles there were many new converts. They were eager to follow the way of Christ. Then there were the Judaizers, Jewish Christians who taught that converts must observe the law of Moses, along with faith in Christ, in order to be truly saved. They went to the young churches with their teachings and people were confused. Was faith in Christ not enough? Should I be circumcised? Paul stood up to them whenever possible, arguing salvation is by faith alone and nothing else. For this reason we have Acts 15, the Jerusalem Council. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the testimonies of apostles the council came to the conclusion that it was not right to put the burden of the Law upon Christians. Faith in Christ alone was sufficient. (Acts 15:28)
Today we know salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone. We owe this understanding to Luther. This biblical truth was lost to God’s people for hundreds of years, Luther rediscovered it through his study of the Bible. He found out that all God requires for salvation is our faith in Christ. Anything beyond that is “the Law,” a burden which has been taken away by Christ. There is no need, indeed no justification, to add to Christ’s finished work on the cross by anything else we do.
The Righteousness of God
The key to Luther’s discovery was his understanding of the meaning of “the righteousness of God.” To him “the righteousness of God” was always “the demands of God.” To be righteous in God’s eyes you had to fulfill the Law, to do all the church required of you. Then, one day when he was preparing for a lecture on the book of Romans, he discovered the true meaning of “the righteousness of God.”
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)
In the gospel the righteousness of God is not a demand, but a gift of grace. It’s not earned, but received. Through your faith in Christ God freely gives HIS righteousness to you. He places HIS righteousness upon you. When he sees you he no longer sees a sinful man, but HIS own righteousness. It is through your faith in Christ you have gained access into the grace in which you are now standing. (Romans 5:2)
